


Pillar

by Toonfreak



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-07
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-28 23:58:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11428947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toonfreak/pseuds/Toonfreak
Summary: Yellow Diamond has had many Pearls over the years.......but this one is slightly...different.





	1. Chapter 1

She went through her Pearls like napkins.

It was no surprise. Yellow Diamond had a horrendous temper.

It seemed that every other day, she would return to the Kindergarten to exchange a smashed, shattered, Yellow Pearl for a new one.

Some of these were accidents- of course. A slam of her fist, a misstep of her gargantuan foot was just as likely a demise for a Yellow Pearl as a purposeful shattering.

Of course, her Pearls would anger her just as frequently. Many of them came to their doom by yelling off a snark comment, or insulting their master.

...and (even more so), sometimes Yellow Diamond just felt like shattering stuff. Her Pearl was always the closest thing to her. If she became even the least bit angry, and felt like taking out her aggression on...someone....it was (typically) the Pearl that would suffer.

While the leader could care less about how many servants were shattered at her hand (they were just Pearls-after all), there was one particular Peridot that was becoming more than a tad bit annoyed with the entire situation.

This Peridot had a nickname among her peers- Abscissa to be precise. 

Abscissa was tired of her work constantly being destroyed. She would work hard, and labor over every detail to make sure each Yellow Pearl was to her Diamond's exact specifications!

....only to have said Pearl shattered within a few days.

She couldn't take it anymore!!! The Peridot worked so fracking hard on each Gem created! She wanted to bend the rules just once, she wanted to make a Gem that could last for more than a week!

\----------------

Like usual, her Diamond approached the Kindergarten. Abscissa knew she was coming- her massive foot stomps were not particularly discreet. 

Yellow Diamond entered, and lightly salted the most recent Pearl's shards into the disgruntled Peridot's hands. 

The leader spoke: "I assume you know the routine by now. Yellow Pearl, point cut, zero facets. I want the gemstone on the neck like usual. Make it like all the others."  
"Yes my Diamond." It took all Abscissa's strength to not grit her teeth while agreeing with her leader.

The Diamond waved her massive hand in dismissal, before sauntering off. She would be back within the next few hours, to pick up her newest slave...her newest victim.

It was at this time, that Abscissa had an idea! Yellow Diamond had specified cut, looks, and placement....but not size.

The Peridot felt a sudden surge of adrenaline! A malicious thought swept over her! She put new calculations into the Gem Drill's computer.  
Oh...the Yellow Pearl would be the same all right, but the drill would infuse the component ingredients 5x the normal amount...

\----------------

When the leader returned, she was massively disappointed. Her new Pearl was still cooking in the crust.

"What is this? You're typically so prompt!"

"Oh! My Diamond!" The Peridot saluted. "No worries! Your Pearl will be ready very soon...this one is incredibly special!"

The dictator rolled her eyes. "I seriously doubt that. All of my Pearls have been made to exact specifications...what could possibly make this one any different?"

"You'll see..." Abscissa displayed a grin that even made the leader slightly nervous- despite their difference in size.

\----------------

Several extra hours passed. Yellow Diamond was becoming visibly more and more aggravated as the time ticked by.

The small Peridot was becoming nervous at this point too. If her Diamond didn't receive her Pearl soon, there might be a new shattered Abscissa to take her place.

Fortunately, the soil began to rumble with anticipation! 

The new Yellow Pearl emerged!! She was everything the leader had asked for! Yellow, point cut, zero facets, Gem on neck! She was perfect in every way.....  
....except for one.

The Pearl shook slightly, and brushed several boulders and clumps of dirt off of her gorgeous gown. She looked up to her new master and bowed politely as every previous servant had. 

Yellow Diamond, however, was not amused. She lifted her lip in disgust. "What....is.....THAT?"

The Peridot answered: "Why, your new Pearl my Diamond! Isn't she wonderful!"

"THIS- THIS is NOT the Pearl I ordered! This is not the Pearl ANYONE ordered! What is the meaning of this?!?!"

"Well, I thought this Pearl would be a bit more...hardy than your previous servants. I have noticed that you've had to take many trips to our Kindergarten as of late, and thought a more strong Pearl could save you a trip..."

"-this though?!? This is an absolute DISGRACE!! Such a massive waste of resources!"

The Yellow Pearl couldn't help feeling a bit hurt. She wasn't even quite sure what was wrong with her...the Peridot did seem much smaller than expected. The Pearl's programming was informing her that a Peridot should be up to her waist, but this one was no taller then her ankle. 

The Pearl decided to try her best- despite whatever defect she had. She was careful not to hurt the Peridot as she stomped over to her new master. She stood loyalty next to her Diamond. The top of her head reached the rim of her new owner's boot.

The Pearl was massive- about the size of a pillar.

She was a pillar- a pillar sized Yellow Pearl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story came about when me and the writer VonSmore, were discussing the fact that Yellow Pearl's size had changed so dramatically between the episodes "Message Recieved", and "That Will Be All".  
> I theorized that perhaps the Yellow Pearl in each could be a completely different Pearl all together? Maybe? A silly idea for sure!
> 
> A big thank you for the curse words!  
> "Shale" comes from CompletelyDifferent/Dragon Elexus's "Little Rebellions" (Borrowed from chapter 43 to be precise!)
> 
> "Frack" is actually from chapter 7 of DarkHorseBlueSky's "De Facto"
> 
> I would also like to thank writer VonSmore for proofreading this thing.
> 
> ...and a final thank you goes out to the writer Cartoonicaddic, and her fic "A Diamond's Flaw" whom was a great inspiration with getting this fic (finally) off of the ground!
> 
> These writers (and their stories) are all awesome! Check them out!


	2. Chapter 2

The first few minutes of the servant's existence were absolutely dreadful.

Shortly after she had sauntered over to her new master, the Diamond reared in disgust. It seemed that she wanted nothing to do with the odd slave. 

The Yellow Pearl then immediately witnessed the demise of her own creator. Yellow Diamond purposely stomped on Abscissa- gemstone and all. Such snarkiness and tomfoolery of resources would not be tolerated within her court.

As the Diamond lifted her boot, the Pearl stared at the pile of green shards in horror. So this was her new master? A woman with no empathy. The servant shivered as the leader glanced her over several times.

The Yellow Pearl expected the same demise as her creator, but instead, was met with her owner's voice. "Come along now Pearl. That was my most talented Peridot. I'm going to have to find a new one to replace her...AND you. For the time being, you will serve under me. Having an oversized monster for a Pearl, is better than no Pearl at all. Notice this though- your existence is temporary until I can get a decent servant once more. Do NOT become comfortable with your living situation."

"Y-Yes my Diamond!" Her master's statement did not put her at ease what-so-ever. As soon as a replacement was found, she would be destroyed.

\----------------

As the servant followed her Diamond down the corridors of Homeworld, she couldn't help but notice that her presence was startling every tiny Gem she passed. They would all salute to Yellow Diamond- of course, but then their gaze would veer toward the new Pearl in absolute terror!

She was taller than a Quartz, taller than a Bismuth, perhaps even taller then 6 Bismuths!!!!

The Pearl blushed in embarrassment.

Because she was so new, her footing was not the best either. On several occasions, she had almost completely shattered an entire platoon of Rubies. The groups yelped and moved away from her ballerina-type shoes quickly. She knew Pearls should always look up toward their master when following, but the servant couldn't help herself. She just HAD to stare at the floor...otherwise, she might make some sort of mistake she would regret.

This is particularly why both servant and master were quite surprised, when the Diamond had to stop to ask a passing Agate a question about the completion of several important documents. The Yellow Pearl (still staring at the floor) bumped into her master's boot in surprise!  
The sudden jostle almost made Yellow Diamond loose her footing. The leader had to step forward quickly to prevent herself from loosing her balance....

...whether the Agate had finished her paperwork, the Diamond would never find out. Her foot had saved at least 6 Quartz soldiers that were standing directly behind her, but had ultimately done so at the sacrifice of the Agate's life.

Yellow Diamond looked behind herself- more annoyed than enraged. She gave her new Pearl a nasty glare, that signified she had made a grave mistake.

The servant cowered in fear.

\----------------

After a bit more walking (and few words exchanged among the duo), the pair finally arrived at a different Kindergarten.  
The Diamond looked down at her new Pearl- eyes most serious and fatigued. "I want you to stand out here with your fellow Pearls. I am going to try to find a Peridot talented enough to replace you. Do NOT step on anyone. This will not take long."

The Diamond retreated into the distance. Her Pearl was left standing, awkwardly among her much smaller counterparts. As soon as the coast was clear, the other Pearls began to gossip.  
"My STARS!! Look at you! You have to be the tallest Pearl I've ever seen!!" One of her shorter counterparts-a Green Pearl- seemed more impressed than frightened of the monolith. She leaned on her sister's massive shoe while looking up to her with admiration.  
The gesture made the Yellow Pearl nervous. She was fearful of hurting someone.....  
A Pink Pearl approached her. "Wow! You're like a massive Pillar!" The small thing blushed slightly. "Would-would you mind? I've always wondered what it would be like to be so tall...like a Diamond..."  
"Huh?"  
The Pink Pearl beckoned to her massive sister. "Your hand!"  
"Oh...." the Yellow Pearl lowered her hand and let the smaller one climb on. She lifted it carefully and slowly, until the Pink Pearl was well above her own height.  
"Wow!!! You can see everything from up here!!!" The Pink Pearl smiled with glee. She turned to her massive sister. "Thanks Pillar! You can let me down now!" The Yellow Pearl obeyed. 

An Orange Pearl butted in: "Well, you two may be impressed- but I think she's a menace! Pearl's aren't meant to be as huge as you!! You aren't nearly as graceful as a Diamond! You'll end up tripping and shattering us all!"

"That's not true you CLOD!" Yellow Pearl's voice boomed and echoed so badly that all of the other Pearls held their ears in pain!

The Yellow Pearl clamped her hands over her mouth in embarrassment. "Stars! I am so sorry!" She squeaked.  
"I didn't mean-"

"-that's exactly the shale I'm talking about!!" The Orange Pearl nodded, pleased with herself.

"Oh! Lighten up Tangerine!" The Pink Pearl smiled. "Pillar here is super-awesome! We've never seen a Pearl like her!"

"Are you really going to keep calling her "Pillar" like that? It seems somewhat...inappropriate..." the Green Pearl did not want to risk angering the giant.

"Oh, she doesn't mind....do you Pillar?!?" The Pink Pearl smiled.

Not wanting to upset one of the only friends she had made thus far, the massive Yellow Pearl shook her head. "No. It's fine." The giant looked increasingly concerned. She stared into the distance.

"What's with that look?" Tangerine crossed her arms, and leaned against the wall.

"It's...it's nothing. None of your business!" Pillar snapped.

"Doesn't sound like nothing." Tangerine scoffed.

"You can tell us Pillar!" Pink smiled again.  
"Yes, yes, secrets stay among Pearls!" Stated the Green Pearl.

"Mph...well...alright. My Diamond is actually visiting this Kindergarten to find a Peridot...talented enough...to...replace me." Pillar drooped in shame. "She says that my existence is...temporary."

Pink Pearl gasped in shock! "That's a horrible thing to say! You just emerged recently too...right? She has to at least give you a chance first!"

"No she doesn't." Tangerine was blunt. "She's a Diamond. She can do what she pleases. If she says she doesn't want your physical form mucking up Homeworld's hallways- then her word is law."

"Tangerine!!!! Stop being so rude!" The Green Pearl snapped. She turned to Pillar. "Don't worry about Tangerine. Her owner is an Agate...that Gem's horrendous attitude tends to rub off on her..."

Tangerine scoffed at the excess comments.

The Green Pearl continued: "Perhaps proper introductions are needed. I was so shocked when I first saw you, I absolutely forgot...I do apologize. The other Pearls call me Mint. You already know Tangerine's name..." Mint beckoned toward the Orange Pearl, "-and the Pink one over there is Conch."

"Hiiiiii!!!" Conch waved enthusiastically in response.

"I guess I'm Pillar now then...." the Yellow Pearl seemed somewhat embarrassed.  
Tangerine pipped up: "If it makes you feel any better that blasted Conch gave all of us our nicknames." She snarled.

"Oh! You all LOVE your nicknames...and you know it!!!" Conch replied with glee.

Mint decided to explain: "Conch's owner is a Sapphire. She encourages creativity and happiness for her Pearl...says it's progressive for the future, or some shale like that." Mint laughed. "Can you imagine? A world where all Pearl's are happy to do what they please?"

"Sounds nice..." Pillar wanted to live in a place where her form would be welcomed for more than a few short hours.

A sudden set of thundering steps were heard from the distance. The Pearls all stood with obedience once more. As expected, Yellow Diamond re-appeared looking frustrated.

The servants gave her a Diamond salute.

It was obvious that the master had not found a Peridot worthy of a replacement.  
She snapped: "Come along now Pearl. We will try a different Kindergarten tomorrow."

Pillar looked sadly toward her new friends, as she was walked away- her steps fading in the distance.


	3. Chapter 3

There were advantages. There were disadvantages.

As the days rolled on, Yellow Diamond was becoming more and more frustrated with her situation. She was still attempting to find a Peridot good enough to replace her monstrous servant, but to no avail.

She had decided that (for the time being) to keep the Pearl in her chambers. She was too clumsy to be glomping about the Homeworld hallways so carelessly anyway.

Pillar was both sad, and relieved with this progress. Staying in her master's chambers meant that there was less chance of her hurting anyone- this also meant that there was less chance of her seeing her friends again before her ultimate demise.

She was rather depressed, but also kept to her tasks. She was getting especially good at answering the Diamond Line. The best part was that no one could really determine her actual size via the phone. To whichever Gem was on the other line, she looked quite normal unless her Diamond was in the background.

\----------------

Yellow Diamond hated to admit it, but there were advantages to having a larger Pearl. She could clean faster. She could move heavy objects much more quickly, and could carry more in her gemstone when necessary.

However, she could not open doors what-so-ever. Her finger tip was the same size as the panel.

This....also guaranteed that any escape from Yellow Diamond was (pretty much) impossible for the servant.

\----------------

Things seemed to be going...not great- but consistent. The Diamond still seemed frustrated from her shortcomings, but also liked the fact that her Pearl could do things other Pearls could not.

But then....the faithful day came. 

Yellow Diamond was in her chambers, the Diamond Line rang- Pearl's favorite job! She answered- with just the right amount of snark that her Diamond preferred. On the other end of the line was......a Peridot?

Confused, the Pearl inquired, before Yellow Diamond took over the call entirely.

Apparently, it was a Peridot sent to help with the Earth mission....

The back and forth conversation ended horrendously- with the Peridot calling her leader a "CLOD" and hanging up on her immediately after.

Pillar had never seen her Diamond so enraged before. Her face was contorting in a way the servant didn't even realize was possible.

After ensuring that the Peridot's device was shattered, her focus turned to her Pearl....the only other Gem in the room she could aim her aggression toward.  
"Pearl! Come here!" The monarch pointed toward the floor, with the most horrifying of expressions.

Pillar obeyed, and approached her owner.  
"I am VERY disappointed in the way you handled that call. When you saw it was a Peridot, you should've just hung up immediately."  
"I'm sorry my Diamond."  
"You know I can not let this mistake go unpunished."  
"Yes my Diamond."  
"I'm sorry I have to do this my Pearl. But your services have overstayed their welcome. You should be proud! You lasted a day longer than my last Pearl..."

The leader raised her fist above her servant. The time had come to shatter her this monstrosity...the Pearl that was never meant to be in the first place....

The massive fist began to rush downward- directly toward Pillar's gemstone!

In a sudden panic, the servant could take the fear no longer! She did what none of her predecessors could do- she stopped the hand mid-journey!

The Diamond gasped! Such disrespect! Why was her servant resisting her ultimate demise?!?

"No. No more." The Pearl glared up at her master. "I am not going to be controlled by your threats any longer."

With a massive amount of strength, the Pearl pushed back! The Diamond, (in a state of shock), was forced to the other side of her chambers!

...there was a sudden realization. Her programming began to take charge! She was doing wrong- she was going against her master, a Diamond!!!

Pillar scurried to the opposite side of the room quickly. Her fear overpowering her. 

She didn't need a panel to get through the door.

The Pearl simply body slammed herself against the metal until the frame gave way to her massive size!

The Yellow Pearl ran....


	4. Chapter 4

What happened next, could only be described as chaos. The incident would come to be known as "The Massive Pearl Manifesto" (despite the fact that there would only be paperwork written about the incident- not an actual legal document).

Pillar had no clue where to run to. She hadn't exactly been able to wander, or familiarize herself with her bearings. The servant figured that the best chance for survival was to hijack a large ship.

...she had no clue where the ship bay was though. She needed help. She needed someone who had been lugged around Homeworld so many times, that they would know exactly where to escape.

In the distance, Pillar suddenly spotted a tiny familiar something! It was Tangerine...being scolded by her Agate! Certainly, a Pearl owned by such an impressive Gem would know the important ins and outs of the area?

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The massive din of her running steps caught the eyes of both Gems quickly. The Agate streamed in absolute terror, as the giant bounded over her, and scooped up her frightened Orange Pearl within a matter of seconds.

It took a moment for Tangerine to figure out what on Homeworld had just occurred. She (regrettably) looked below, and soon discovered that she was (at least) 30 feet from the ground! She clung to one of Pillar's fingers in a panic, and began to shout at her in desperation: "Frack! What in Stars name are you doing?!? You're going to hurt someone!!"

Pillar responded: "It's happening Tangerine! My Diamond! She wishes to destroy me!!"  
"That's terrifying and all, but could you possibly slow down just a tad- SHALE!! LOOK OUT!!!"

Pillar skidded to a stop- just in time to see a humble Sapphire and Conch crossing the hallway. 

The two seemed highly unfazed by a giant Pearl nearly running them over.

Conch looked up in surprise, and waved happily! "Hiiiiiiii Pillar!!!!"

The Sapphire came to a realization, quite suddenly. "Oh! Is it time already? My Pearl, help as many as you can. Have a safe journey, and enjoy yourself!"  
The Sapphire held Conch's hand as she wished her well.  
"Don't worry! I will!" Conch smiled at her master, whom nodded in agreement.  
The Sapphire looked up at Pillar. "Do take good care of her. She is a very kind and special Pearl."

"Erm...ok?" Pillar was more confused than ever. She had never heard of a Gem giving up their servant so willingly.  
Perhaps the Sapphire knew something she did not?

She lowered her hand, which Conch happily bounded upon with glee. She smiled, as she always did.  
Pillar quickly refocussed at the task at hand. As she ran off into the distance, the Sapphire waved sadly. The fortune teller knew that this was for the best....

\----------------

"Hiiii Tangerine!!" Conch waved happily at the frightened Orange Pearl in the monster's opposite hand.  
"What the-?!?! How can you be so calm right now?"  
"...Because! This is fun!"  
"NO IT'S NOT!!" Tangerine was not enjoying herself in the least.

Pillar interrupted: "I hate to ask, but do either of you know where the ship bay is?"  
"Oh! We can't go there yet! There's still passengers we need!" Conch nodded.  
"What are you talking about?"  
"MY Sapphire said that if we go to the shipping bay NOW, there won't be any space ships big enough to escape! However, if we gather a few extra Pearls FIRST, everything will work out splendidly!"  
"She....she knew this was going to happen?!?"  
"Of course! She's a Sapphire, silly! Oh! Oh! Take a left up here!!!!"

Pillar obeyed, made an immediate left down a new hallway, and was soon greeted by a crowd of Gems! 

There were Pearls of every color being led by several Quartz soldiers. They were older models of servants- apparently on their last stretch of the journey before being decommissioned, and harvested.

"Pick them up! Think of it like a game!!! Every Pearl we save is worth two points!" Conch was enthusiastic with glee!  
Tangerine turned toward her, and simply stated: "You're insane." Before (surprisingly) being dumped into Pillar's hairstyle.

In a massive amount of chaos and confusion, Pillar scooped up as many decommissioned Pearls as her free hand would allow.  
The crowd of new friends, soon met the same fate as Tangerine- clinging on to Pillar's individual strands of hair in desperation of not falling to a deadly 30 feet.

"Weee!!! This is fun! Let's pick up Minty next! Onward!!!" Conch pointed forward and began to bark commands at Pillar in a military-like style. 

The instructions her Sapphire had given her were perfect! Each turn down each new hallway was rewarded with another massive amount of Pearls that required saving.  
There was very little anyone could do to stop Pillar from her rampage. The Pearls that were stolen continued to cling on for dear life, and no other Gem in the hallway was brave (or stupid) enough to stop a monolith as huge as this thief.

\----------------

Mint was waiting for her Gem to get out of an important meeting. It had been a rather dull day.  
Lots of standing around...lots of waiting...

There was a sudden sound of rhythmic thunder barreling from a nearby hall corner. Mint prepared a Diamond symbol in expectancy of one of the leaders approaching....

...what she received instead, was a massive tangle of chaos.

Pillar came stomping toward her at maximum speed- hair full of various-colored, terrified-looking Pearls. Conch giving the giant explicit instructions from one of her massive hands.

Poor Mint had little time to prep herself for the inevitable, before being forced into the monster's free hand, and scooped up against her will.

"YAY! Minty's here! Time to go! Take a right, and than your second left! You're doing wonderfully Pillar!"

"What the STARS is GOING ON?!?!" Mint was ultimately confused and baffled by this evolution of events.

"Haven't you heard?" Tangerine droned from Pillar's hairline- "...apparently we're escaping. We're traitors now...not that any of us had much say in the matter."

"Wait, WHAT?!?!"

"Oh yeah. You're involved with this too...no turning back now..."

"WAIT.....WHAT?!?!?!?!?!"

As Mint attempted to get a grasp over the situation- Pillar turned the final corner, and soon found herself at her destination- the ship bay!

Sure enough, a massive cargo ship had landed. It had just been refueled, and was now full of useful supplies for a long journey.

"That one! That one there! The REALLY big one!!!" Conch pointed at the cargo ship enthusiastically. 

While the ship WAS technically being guarded by two Jaspers, it did not take much effort to intimidate the duo into running off in a panic.

Pillar lowered her head (carefully) through the opening, and squeezed into the ship. The low door and lack of space due to the cargo crates were not helping in the least. A majority of the rescued Pearls took advantage of the situation to escape Pillar's hair before she began moving about once more.  
Conch found the main chamber of the ship quickly. She closed the hatch door, dove her hands into the computer system, and instructed the ship to move away from Homeworld quickly.

The Gems in the ship bay watched helplessly, as the cargo vehicle zoomed away into the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this...is...AMAZING!!!!  
> I actually wrote this tale (all 4 chapters) within the last 24 hours. This story started as a silly exercise...to see if I could write an entire fanfiction in a day.
> 
> Needless to say, I was NOT expecting so much feedback on this one! My goodness are you guys awesome!!
> 
> So here's the question...  
> ...should I stop here (where I was planning on stopping), or should I take on a few epilogue-type chapters?
> 
> Either way, thank you SO MUCH for all of the support!
> 
> Also, this chapter (chapter 4) was the most fun to write!!! Whoot for chaos!!!


	5. Chapter 5

After the spaceship had finally traveled a safe distance from Homeworld, there was an immediate din among the new crowd of Pearls.

"What the Stars is going on?"  
"That Pearl is hideous!! Why is she so tall?!?"  
"My Gem is going to shatter me for SURE now..."

The slaves squabbled amongst themselves.

Pillar meanwhile felt, quite....stuck. 

While the spaceship was very WIDE, it was not terribly TALL. Most of the sideways space was being taken up by cargo boxes too.  
Pillar was currently being forced to lay down sideways...it was the only way she could fit.  
Relief flooded her once Conch reappeared from the captain's chair to calm down the complaints and confusion.

"Alright everyone!!! Listen up!" The squabbling subsided as everyone turned toward the Pink Pearl. "I know this must be a bit of a shock for you all, but be joyous!! You are now free from the tyranny that is Homeworld!"

There was an eerie murmur. Several of the decommissioned Pearls clapped a few times- and quickly stopped when half of the crowd did not join in.

A Purple Pearl spoke, clearly upset: "If my Jasper does not receive the paperwork she needs- she'll be executed!"  
Several others in the crowd began to pipe up with similar concerns:  
"My Peridot needs this parcel she had me fetch! She has a medical condition!"  
"Who will sing to my Zircon? She can't relax between trials without my voice in the background!"  
"If the Rubies I work with catch me, they'll pummel me for sure!"

"Everyone calm down! Your previous owners are fully formed Gems...they can take care of themselves!" Conch nodded as if agreeing with herself. "...Besides...my Sapphire told me for a FACT, that no one is going to come after us! Many of you were about to be decommissioned or shattered anyway, and the items in these crates are not worth sending a fleet after..."

Upon this comment, Mint was suddenly filled with curiosity, and decided to open one of the boxes....  
"Oh!"

From the crate, a mountain of random items spewed- books, yarn, several alien board games...apparently the items had been bought in bulk. The cargo boxes were filled to the brim with random hobbies and activities-meant for the odd privileged Gem that had too much time on their hands. Lots of these items were typically available in Homeworld stores and pawn shops.

No resources, wires, or rare minerals what-so-ever....merely trinkets.

"Well, at least we won't bore ourselves to oblivion while on this ride to nowhere..." Tangerine was slightly relieved that the cargo was worthless to most, but was still not thrilled with being forced into this situation against her will.

"What about this off color Pearl?!?!"  
"YEAH! This is all HER fault!!"  
The crowd of servants suddenly all faced Pillar- most looking incredibly bitter and peeved.

The giant, suddenly, not only felt incredibly guilty, but also scared. It's not like she could move anywhere or hide....

As all the sets of eyes glared at Pillar, Conch came to her defense: "She was just doing what I told her to! My Sapphire instructed me to take you all onto this ship!"

This sudden comment seemed to bring about an ease among most. If a Pearl received instruction from her master-a Sapphire no less!- than of course she would have to obey the command.

The Purple Pearl from before spoke yet again: "Well...now what?!?"

A decent question. They couldn't return to Homeworld NOW...certainly not! With an official Sapphire's prediction and blessing as well, it seemed that there was little chance of anyone coming after the fugitives.

For the first time in their existence, the Pearls had no clue what to do, or WHERE they were going.

\----------------

Conch (being the most independent thinker of the crew), decided to take charge of the situation.

First, she preformed her tradition of nick-naming all 44 new Pearls that had been added to her circle of friends.

Next, "rations" were passed out accordingly. Some of the Gems were not completely comfortable with picking up a new hobby right away, so they idled their time by cleaning the cargo ship.  
Others (mostly the decommissioned servants), were all too happy to have a second chance at life, and begin a relaxing activity.  
Most of them took to reading....fewer decided to attempt the art and board games.

The question remained though- where to go? All ships need an eventual destination....

It was Mint's idea to create a Democratic vote- something that was not allowed on Homeworld.

The Pearls combined their knowledge of untouched planets to narrow the options. It was a shame Earth was going to be destroyed by a geo-weapon (according to Pillar).

It would have been kind of neat to stay on the same planet that the Gem War had taken place on....

The vote concluded with the closest habitable planet to Earth- Kepler-186f.

Conch plugged the new information into the ship's computer. 

The vehicle sped off to its new home- to a new life. The Pearls on board would finally be free....Pillar would finally be free.

The massive servant could not wait!  
The freedom would be wonderful-yes....  
...but she would also REALLY like to stretch her legs right about now...

...It's not like she could move very well in this small space. 

It would be a small sacrifice of discomfort, in exchange for a lifetime of happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...and with that, I hope you guys enjoyed "Pillar"! (I had to do at least one more chapter...just because all of my readers are so awesome!!) 
> 
> Some fun random facts I decided to add for the hey or it!!!!
> 
> The Purple Pearl that was owned by the Jasper was nicknamed "Grape" by Conch. Her Jasper was fine without the paperwork (all Gems that got their Pearls stolen were excused from punishment for "reasons beyond their control".)
> 
> The Zircon did fine at her next trial. She had pre-recorded her Pearl's singing voice for times when she was not allowed to have the servant in the courtroom with her.
> 
> The Peridot's "medical condition" was not a medical condition at all. The parcel she had her Pearl pick up every few weeks was filled with food. It was a guilty pleasure for her to eat alien snacks in her spare time.
> 
> Conch became a major force when all the Pearls landed on their new home! She ended up setting up an excellent art program, and frequently gave motivational speeches.
> 
> Pillar's interest in art evolved, and she became very talented at creating massive sculptures. 
> 
> Mint (it turns out) was wonderful at organization and government. She set up a fair system so that all 48 Pearls would have equal rights on their new planet.
> 
> Tangerine ended up teaching classes on self confidence- something she happened to be good at from the beginning!
> 
> ...and all the Pearls lived happily ever after!!!! Huzzah!!!  
> XD


End file.
